Vinyl

Where technology meets art

Vinyl Records

International Phonograph Inc. is passionate about unearthing classic jazz performances that are no longer available to the public and reissuing them on vinyl. Because of its special sound quality (second only to analog tape master copies), IPI will issue certain limited edition releases on vinyl. Vinyl is not just a nostalgic look to the past, it actually affords the listener a great sense of the organic presence that existed when the musicians performed, getting one closer to the music. Painstaking care is taken to ensure the highest quality sound, and each reissue duplicates the original vinyl packaging.

Julius Hemphill, Dogon A.D.

Voted as one of the 100 most essential jazz recordings of all time by NY Times critic Ben Ratliff.

Dogon A.D. has long been revered as a classic among jazz connoisseurs; Julius Hemphill's relatively obscure but highly influential debut is widely considered the missing link between the avant-garde and populist forms such as blues, funk and soul. The 1972 recording session for this historic masterpiece originally produced four unique compositions, but Hemphill only issued three on his Mbari Records imprint due to time constraints. Long out of print, this limited edition CD reunites the original four tracks for the very first time, packaged in a deluxe mini-replica of the Arista/Freedom jacket.

Hemphill, like many of his peers in the aftermath of the 1960s, attempted to reconcile the aesthetic differences between the innovations of the New Thing and the proverbial "music of the people." Critical success was often fleeting for most jazz musicians in this regard, especially those operating in the then nascent fusion scene. This spartan date bears the distinction of being one of the first records to capture an artist of Hemphill's caliber successfully transposing the emotional candor of popular African-American musical traditions—from the sacred to the secular—into the rarefied language of free jazz, without compromising the unique characteristics of either idiom.(Reprinted from Allaboutjazz.com by Troy Collins.)

This remarkable performance is now available (Sept 2016) on a two-disc vinyl album mastered by the legendary Doug Sax. Each of the four performances appears on one side of the two-disc set. This is the ultimate fidelity for an ultimate performance.